Content Marketing: What Is It? What Is It Good For?
The term ‘content marketing’ is just about as vague and overused as Big Data. The global head of content at direct marketing agency Wunderman Tara Marsh clears up the confusion around what content marketing actually means and why she thinks The Sun Dream Team app is the perfect success story.
“The easiest definition of content marketing, used by Wunderman, is for brands to stop interrupting what people are interested in and instead become what people are interested in,” Marsh told B&T. Within this definition, content marketing involves three different criteria- active choice, relevance and value exchange.
Active choice
Active choice occurs when a brand’s audience makes an active decision to spend time with the content. “Ads that are so good, so entertaining that people will go on YouTube and search for them. They choose to watch them and choose to share them.” Marsh uses the example of Budweiser’s SuperBowl puppy ad:
https://youtu.be/xAsjRRMMg_Q
Relevance
The issue of audience relevance is the second criteria of content marketing. “Depending on your audience the same piece of content could be a traditional ad to one person and a piece of content marketing to another.” A person (with no soul) might watch the Budweiser puppy ad and be annoyed by it, whereas another person (with a soul) will watch the ad and find it adorable.
Value exchange
“Content marketing has to provide value of some sort, we have a model where we look at value along six different content currency….It could be a that a brand provides value across all six or just one, but trying to think tangible about how you can give something to your audience to get their attention and their business.”
Wunderman’s six categories of value exchange:
1. Information
This is probably the closest to traditional advertising. It’s the most basic level of information about products, price that you need to make a purchase decision.
2. Education
One step further than information is education, it provides more education on a product. The deeper level of the ‘why’, for example American Express having a credit card matching quiz which helps you decided which card would suit you.
3. Inspiration
Providing customers with inspiration, such as recipe ideas, is an example of value exchange. Marsh uses US supermarket Whole Foods as an example of a brand utilising inspiration content marketing: “The chances are if someone sees a recipe and there’s a Whole Foods nearby they will probably go there and buy their ingredients.”
Coles has been following a similar tactic with its #XmasInspiration campaign:
Choose a course and we’ll tweet you the recipe. Quick and easy #XmasInspiration https://t.co/ngIRI0Q6E7
— ColesXmas (@ColesXmas) November 18, 2015
4. Entertainment
Red Bull pretty much owns this content marketing space, providing users with content which entertains:
Brands which traditionally wouldn’t be considered ‘cool’ like Red Bull, brands such as AMEX and GE are also using entertainment to provide value to its consumers.
5. Utility
Utility content marketing is providing a customer with something which is useful; content which helps in some tangible way and in exchange the user becomes a loyal customer. For example, a hotel app could let a customer check-in but it could also open the room door and order room service.
“The lines are blurring between who is marketing and who is product because the roles are becoming the same.”
6. Experience
The final category ‘experiences’ included live events and tangible experiences which give customers positive associations with a brand. For example, alcohol brand Bacardi providing mojitos to people at a music festival which it sponsors.
An example of Wunderman’s content marketing work is the The Sun’s Dream Team campaign. Last year The Sun put its online content behind a paywall, Wunderman and The Sun ran a social media campaign called Dream Team to encourage readers to get behind the paywall.
“The Wunderman team in London started mining all of this data about people using the Dream Team product. They came up with this remarkable insight that although people are die-hard loyal fans to their team in real-life, yet when they looked at the data they found that on their Dream Team people were cheating on their team.”
This data inspired the tagline for The Sun’s campaign: ‘It’s not cheating if it’s your dream team’.
“We would basically track what was happening in the games and track what was happening in the Dream Team and put post out which was immediately relevant to what was happening in real-life. For example, a player did really poorly and people dropped him from their Dream Team within an hour.
“Subscriptions to the Dream team app, which sat behind that paywall, was way beyond any of their targets. So much of that was because of this really great, funny, interesting content that people were engaging with. That campaign combines ‘utility’ because it’s a product and it’s ‘entertainment’ because it’s something people are using because it’s fun.”
Latest News
Sydney Comedy Festival: Taking The City & Social Media By Storm
Sydney Comedy Festival 2024 is live and ready to rumble, showing the best of international and homegrown talent at a host of venues around town. As usual, it’s hot on the heels of its big sister, the giant that is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, picking up some acts as they continue on their own […]
Global Marketers Descend For AANA’s RESET For Growth
The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) has announced the final epic lineup of local and global marketing powerhouses for RESET for Growth 2024. Lead image: Josh Faulks, chief executive officer, AANA Back in 2000, a woman with no business experience opened her first juice bar in Adelaide. The idea was brilliantly simple: make healthy […]
Is Meta’s New AI Chatbot Too Left-Wing?
Meta's chatbot accused of being left-wing after being caught wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt & listening to Billy Bragg.
TV Ratings (23/04/2024): Why Did No One Tell Angela That Farmer Wants A Wife Is Set On A Farm?
As wonderful as this headline is, let's face it, we all know an 'Angela', don't we?
PubMatic Unveils New AI Partnership To Turn Social Posts Into Ads For Any Digital Channel
Here's some nifty tech for turning social posts into ads. Assuming said posts aren't one-star character assassinations.
Intuit Mailchimp Makes A Splash With Its First Australian Brand Campaign
Ever laugh along at a gag you didn't get so as not to appear dumb? Get ready for more feigning with this new work.
GumGum’s Rob Hall: Advertisers Can No Longer “Rely On Binary Descriptions” Of Consumers
If anyone's got their finger on adtech's pulse, it's Rob Hall. He also avoids using the good paper in the office printer
Mastercard Nabs Florencia Aimo From Marriott International
Marriott International's Florencia Aimo jumps from the hotel business to the exploitative credit card one.
Bastion Agency Appoints Cheuk Chiang As New ANZ CEO
Cheuk Chiang takes the reins over at Bastion Agency. But not the rains down in Africa.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Major Sponsorship Wins After A Disappointing Week In Sport
B&T continuing our deep dive into local sport sponsorships & that's despite not a single offer of a free ticket as yet.
Macca’s Marketing Director, Samantha McLeod On Big Mac Chant: “What Was Once Old Is Now Cool Again”
Macca's using the power of nostalgia in latest Big Mac campaign. Well, only for those who've ever eaten one sober.
World Premiere Of Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line To Open Sydney Film Festival 2024
Oil's biopic to open Sydney Film Festival. Here's hoping Molly Meldrum will take his pants down at the premiere.
Entries Are Now Open For The 2024 Brandies, IntelligenceBank’s Annual Brand Marketing Awards
The Brandies are, of course, a prestigious marketing gong and not the mystery tipple favoured by nannas everywhere.
The Fred Hollows Foundation Appoints Ardent For PR
Yes, we all like to have a joke at PR's expense. But sometimes it does important work, like this.
AI, eCommerce & Marketing Specialists Are In Increased Demand By Businesses, New Data From Fiverr Shows
Has your philosophy & anthropology degree left you with nothing but a huge HECS debt? Here's what you should've studied.
Perth’s First 3D Anamorphic Billboard Arrives Courtesy Of oOh!media
Do you love a buzzword? Now you can add anamorphic to the list as it relates to billboards, not a colleague's ears.
MasterChef Australia & Crown Resorts Launch Unique Dining Experience With ALUMNI
A pop-up restaurant staffed by MasterChef contestants! That's fine dining prices for first-year apprentice chef cuisine!
Amanda Laing Announces Resignation From Foxtel Group
Foxtel's chief commercial & content officer heads for the exits. Read nice things the bosses said about her right here.
The Lost Letters From Our Diggers: News Corp Unveils ANZAC Day Special
It's nice when brands respectfully acknowledge ANZAC Day.
Howatson+Company Acquires Akkomplice
Large indie acquires a slightly smaller indie. Much like a shark eating a tuna, just with less thrashing and blood.
Google Delays Third-Party Cookie Deprecation Again
In good news for the sale of picture library biscuit photos, Google continues to tease over the end of cookies.
Education A Low Priority For Aussies More Concerned With Cost Of Living Forethought Study Reveals
Study finds Aussies cutting back on education due to cost of living. Booze & Uber Eats sales remain largely unaffected.
“I’m Still The Same Person That I Was”: Rikki Stern Says “Fucc It” To Cancer Stereotypes
B&T always happy to promote the anti-cancer cause. Even brands that massively overdo it with the hot pink.
The Unapproved Climate Certification Allegedly Causing Mass Greenwashing
Are you left flummoxed in the canned tuna & free range eggs aisle? Just wait till this green certification gets up.
TV Ratings (22/04/2024): Fans Mock “Over The Top” Reaction To New MasterChef Judges
MasterChef returns for its 2024 season. B&T stands by putting peppercorns in Gravox & no one will be any the wiser.
Dentsu Restructure: Muddle, Harvey & Johnston Take Leadership Baton As Bass & Yurisich Exit
A large broom has swept through Dentsu's local ops this morning, taking with it some big names & the air con's cobwebs.
Industry Shares Trends Shaping The Industry This International Creators Day
B&T's asking adland creators to reveal their top trends. And it's not good news for your Jenny Kee cardigan collection.
Mable Extends HOYTS Sensory Screenings Partnership
Mable has extended its HOYTS sensory screening partnership. Vigorously defends its two-star Oppenheimer review.
Orphan Launches ‘They Need Our Help. We Need Yours’ For Children’s Cancer Institute
Anything to do with childhood cancers has B&T's 110% support. That said, we do ignore the red meat & alcohol warnings.
Smile Team Orthodontics & Keep Left Collaborate On Smile-Inducing Campaign
As parents would attest, given the cost of orthodontics you'd expect this campaign to be a lavish production indeed.
Opinion: How Video Calls Neglect Learning Diversity
Need an excuse to duck out of a video call this arvo? Show this to your boss.
DoubleVerify Achieves First-Of-Its-Kind Responsible AI Certification From TrustArc
DoubleVerify receives responsible AI certification. However, not its robotic vacuum that's been seen menacing the cat.
Smile For A Good Cause: The Social Media Campaign Giving Back To The Community
Are you known as the office Austin Powers? More for you teeth than shagability? Get snappy new fangs with this news.
Elon Musk Mocks Albo After ESafety Wins Court Injunction Against X
Albo's 2024 from hell continues - Rabbitohs in crisis, down in the polls and now feuding with world's richest man.
Real Estate Developer In Hot Water Over “Sexually Exploitative” OOH Campaign
Real estate agents again tops in the 'least trusted profession' polls, nudging used car salesmen & ad creatives.
Epsilon’s Shane Hanby: Post-Cookie Era Relies On “Teamwork” Between Brands, Marketers & Tech
This pro predicts more "teamwork" in a post-cookie era. Which spells bad news for the uncooperative or plain stubborn.